Below are third party descriptions of:
Dr. Rubo's, Coyote Tower, and the Mace.
Dr. Rubo's Wild
Ride 5.9+ -
Another classic Sedona tower. 4 pitches of fun
up sandstone cracks..... Pitch 1 is
short, maybe 60' and ends with a pull onto the limestone band. Pitch
2 is the real challenge, it is by far the longest pitch of the
four and starts at a hand size crack (#2 camalots) and widens slightly to
5.9.
The hand crack ends at a roof which is simple enough to go around,
if you're not too tired, and eases off to a 5.8 rating. 
The
challenge at this piont is that, the stone gets softer and gritty and can be
unnearving if you're pumped. It turns into finger laybacks and some balance moves. The anchors are visible but seem to be oh so
far away after every move. Pitch 3 is easy yet quite airy,
with some interesting moves on sandy rock, at this point you are
in the yellow band of Coconino sandstone. Be sure to be aware of
your potential rope drag and analyze rope burn in the rock to determine
your route to the belay. There are no anchors at the top of this pitch, but it is
a huge ledge, with cracks to place a gear belay.
Pitch 4 is really just one boulder move. It carries a 5.9 rating
which is accurate but applies entirely to one move.
It's a very short pitch, so enjoy the top and a wonderful view of
Sedona.
|
The Traverse Pitch of Dr. Rubo's |
Coyote Tower 5.10 - Amazing and truly amazing. This is one of best routes I've ever had the pleasure of climbing. It has a relatively quick approach (about 30 minutes if you know the Sedona area in general, first timer may take an hour) and 6 pitches of great sandstone. The tower can be seen from the Bell Rock Trailhead, looking past Bell Rock at Courthouse Butte just east (slightly right and behind. It is not a freestanding spire as only the top hundred ft. are detached from Courthouse Butte).
Pitch 1 is a 5.8 slab climb interrupted by a section or two of vertical face. This is where the bolts are placed. Be brave and run it out to those bolts because protection is non-existent along the way. Pitch 2 is the 5.10 pitch. This thing has it all, stemming, lie backing, good knee rests, and pull a slight roof to the anchors. This pitch stays pretty sustained at 5.10 . Pitch 3 is a 5.5 diagonal traverse right and up to the limestone band. Pitch 4 is a 5.9 flaring crack with good protection, it seems to go on forever though. Pitch 5 – is an amazingly beautiful corner. Protection is good and solid, and the fingers and feet love every move. Pitch 6 - After 5 pitches of solid rated climbing, this 5.9+ is slightly beyond vertical and sustained. Protection is good in this varying crack. There are also good face holds. As usual for most Sedona climbs, there is the obligatory pull over the roof onto the cap. Four double rope rappels gets you back on the ground safely.
Link to a Web site description of a climb on Coyote Spire
The
Mace 5.10
A fun third party
story about the Mace
Click Photos for larger view of Mace.
The guidebook "A Better Way to Die" revealed the ill reputed Sedona classic "The Mace" as a nice diversion - 5:30 A.M. found us in Sedona, sitting in the truck, waiting for the sun to knock off the chill. Finally, anticipation took over and we made the leisurely stroll up to the Mace, just before sunrise.
Pitch 1 looked pretty straightforward, and since sandstone virgin Micah was a bit hesitant about the rock and gear quality, I took the lead after exhausting every possibility of pawning it off on him. About two thirds of the way up, after squirming out of the ugly chimney, I stepped on a big chunk of red mud that pummeled towards Micah - no need for any more caffeine - Yikes! The small 5.7 move to pull the roof gave me the feeling that 5.9 was going to be tough today! Perhaps this was due to the 40 lb off-width rack swinging from my side.
Pitch two was the "real deal" - part one. I've climbed a few hard cracks in the desert, but this was possibly the first 5.9 roof crack I've ever encountered. I protected the hell out of it, pulled over the roof, jammed a hand in the crack, and floundered my feet like Aqua man, kicking imaginary holds in the air. Uh oh. SHIT! - the gear still works. No need to worry about the red point now; survival climbing would dictate the day. I spent the rest of the pitch wishing we'd packed four or five more pounds of off-width gear, especially when running out the last 20 feet and on a scrawny #1 tcu pushed in an imaginary flaring crack - yah, that will hold!
Pitch three falls in the classic realm. The wonderful 5.7 blind hand traverse around the corner was great. The protection bolt was a wonderful sight, despite the comments in the summit register proclaiming the Mace to be a sport route. I re-detached my finger tendon by over-gripping, but with 200 feet of exposure below my ass, I hardly noticed the pop. Kiss (my ass) sport route! The pitch finished on a fine 5.8 (my ass!) chimney/off-width.
The fourth pitch began well enough - picking my way between two towers, stemming and protecting every five feet. This is how sandstone was meant to be climbed! The crossover into the 5.9+ (my ass!) off-width is where the "real deal" - part two, began. After much thrashing and squirming, I attained the bolt, which was pretty unnecessary as a #4 Camalot was primo, but I was happy, nonetheless. After a nice body wedge rest, the struggle continued. I backed up and down the crack three or four times and gave it a go, climbing up the narrowing off-width, placing another cam high. A struggle for life revealed a nice finger pocket for my left hand, with my right hand jammed to the top of the crack - Shit! Damn finger tendon - that ain't gonna work! I jammed both hands in the crack and attempted a high step, but to no avail. Back to the Aqua man-kicking-air scenario and then, uh-oh! - gear still works, part two. I gathered myself up, repeated the act and managed to find a wonderful foothold below me. Pushing up, I looked down, realizing that the wonderful foothold was the bolt, and suddenly, uh oh! - gear still works again - damn! A close examination revealed two huge pockets high up on the right wall. After working up and getting a hold of one, I was able to throw my leg over the mantle and finish the pitch. Micah soon struggled through the same section. After a brief fall, he was cruising through the crux off-width, although, once on top, he revealed that a move of French-free (one hand on cam, one hand on the draw clipped to bolt) was put in practice. He did free the section immediately above the bolt to the top, though, which I found impressive!
Pitch five was truly memorable. Looking across the four feet of air separating me from the bolt on the other tower had me ready to piss myself. Even more bothersome was the fact that the small crack to the top appeared to peter out long before the angle rolled off. Shaking as I forced myself out to the sloping edge of the lower tower, I fell across the gap to the bolt, with my feet on the lower tower and hands on the wall of the upper tower. After clipping the bolt, I made the mistake of looking down - 200 FEET Of EXPOSURE under my belly!!! I slithered sideways 5 feet to the crack, pulled myself across, and climbed to the end of the crack. An ugly sloper turned into a nice thank-God bucket, and then it was over. What a summit! - red sandstone and junipers brought to life under clear blue skies, offset by the previous weeks snowstorm remnants. And we had the whole climb all to ourselves! After lingering around for an hour and reading the register (four entries from Greg Opland, including "Eugene Miya will never stand on this summit" (presumably made the lower tower) and "I DID NOT step on that bolt" – Eric Coomer, and "I ain't jumping back, Inez") we signed and exited. "Wild Horses" may have been there as well, as an entire page of the register was dedicated to God. There were plenty of "5.9 my ass" remarks and a number of "too many bolts" comments. Better judgment and fears of bruised feet prevailed and we rapped back to the first tower, avoiding the classic heel-bruising leap. (yup, call me "Alice"). An hour later we were back at the truck, complimenting the classic nature of the climb and the beautifully functional olive barrel. After a few well received ice-cold refreshments (spare the lecture, mom) and a nice drive, we were soon reliving the adventure poolside at Micah's place in Phoenix.
More descriptions of the Spire Climbs
Yet
one more Description of climbing the Mace
(requires Adobe Acrobat)
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